Many motor vehicles are built on a full frame that includes left and right frame rails connected by cross members so as to form a ladder like frame structure. In this type of construction, the frame and the vehicle body are constructed separately, and each is a complete unit by itself. The left and right frame rails run the length of the vehicle between the front bumper and the back bumper. The front and rear axles are mounted on the frame. The engine and transmission are mounted on the frame, either directly or by an engine cradle that bolts to the frame. The vehicle body is married to the frame and includes a bulkhead that separates the occupant compartment from the engine compartment. Fenders and a radiator support are then mounted on the frame and the bulkhead to surround the engine.
In a frontal impact situation, the various structures of the vehicle will become deformed and thereby receive and dissipate the impact loads imposed thereon.
It would be desirable to provide alternative vehicle constructions that would provide new and different management of impact loads in which loads that would otherwise be transferred into the body are, instead, transferred into the frame.